When reviewing job postings, most candidates focus on the required skills listing as these identifiers truly make-or-break eligibility for a position. Therefore, before even beginning a job search, and definitely before applying, it is beneficial to review and research your personal skill set in conjunction with employment roles and positions that the current job market demands. By taking this initiative, a prospective candidate can be advantageous in obtaining a well-matched and well-paid position.

Becoming Educated on In-Demand Skills

While there are many valuable skills for a general employee, in the tech industry there are specific skill sets that are hot buttons for employers. These include experience and/or education in programming and application development, project management, technical support, security, compliance, web development, data administration, business analytics, mobile application, device management, networking and, one of the fastest growing markets, big data.

Ensuring that you have experience, education or knowledge in some of these categories will open more doors and employment opportunities.

Discovering In-Demand Employment Titles and How You Fit

Identifying and perfecting an accurate accounting of your skill set is simply one part of the employment puzzle. The other piece involves education on what role or position best complements your skills and also understanding what the position or role entails on a day-to-day basis.

A general job posting can be overly detailed and overwhelming, but by becoming familiar with tech titles and unique daily tasks and projects, job postings will become easier to read; allowing you, the candidate, to assess if your skills are complementary.

Some of the current tech roles that are fast becoming coveted and competitive include software engineers and developers, systems and network engineers, java and web developers, business analysts, web developers, and systems administrators.

By asking yourself the following question, you can determine your qualification level for these coveted IT positions:

Do my skills and/or experience meet, exceed or fail to meet the requirements of the job posting?

Note that a major difference in the tech industry can be seen when identifying qualifications for a position, which centers around the amount of time spent in a certain discipline (industry, program, language, etc.). Therefore, a potential candidate should keep diligent employment records to verify these details.

Understanding Balance

A qualified candidate in the tech industry carries a different definition and unique connotations than many other industries.

It's important to note that employers are not always interested in a "perfect fit" regarding skills or experience, but are more interested in a candidates ability grow and learn as well as their compatibility within their company. The tech industry craves innovation and creativity. While hiring an employee that is capable of performing all required tasks is in theory beneficial, hiring an employee that is capable to expand, change, or creatively address a task or project in an innovative manner and collectively work in a close-proximity team environment, is infinitely more valuable.

Therefore, while perfecting your resume is an important part of applying and obtaining a position in the tech industry, the in-person interview is the key aspect in portraying who you are as a person and if you will be compatible in a certain company.

For more information regarding employment in the tech industry, feel free to visit some of our past posts on in-demand skills:

Five Hottest IT Skills for 2015

In-Demand Technical and Soft Skills

Five Reasons to Invest in Employee Skill Development

What Are Hiring Managers Looking For